Thousands of residents and out-of-town visitors alike immersed themselves in a variety of cultural traditions during the 52nd annual Brantford International Villages Festival, which ran from Wednesday, July 8 to Saturday, July 11, 2026.
Established in 1974 as part of the centennial anniversary of the invention of the telephone, the four-day festival has been a community staple ever since, bringing excitement, awareness, education and cultural pride to the area for more than 50 years.
Throughout this year’s festival, attendees had the chance to visit the 16 villages peppered throughout the city including the: Chinese, East Coast Canada, Hungarian, India, Italian, Mardi Gras, Muslim, New York, Palestinian, Philippine, Polish Polonaise, Polish Warszawa, Scottish, Ukrainian, United Africa and the Great Indian villages.
For $10, travelers were issued a passport that gave them access to all 16 villages, as well as free bus transportation with three different routes.
While many people spent Wednesday and Thursday exploring the 12 open villages, the weekend brought even more excitement as the Polish Warszawa, Palestinian, East Coast Canada, and Scottish villages welcomed guests with lively entertainment, unique cuisines and beverages, and cultural displays.
On Saturday night, Brantford resident Selin Elashy said that although she didn’t have the chance to visit as many villages as she hoped, she had a great time at the ones she did.
“I went to one of the Polish ones, and the Philippines too; their performances were amazing. They can sing, they can dance; what can’t they do?!” she said with a smile. “I also went to one of the Indian villages too, and the food was obviously amazing. I haven’t gotten to go to as many as I’ve liked because I’m part of Palestinian village, but I’m really hoping to get to some more tonight!”
When asked what she enjoyed most about the villages, Elashy said it was all about seeing and experiencing the different cultures.
“Seeing everyone come together to experience each other’s different cultures is so special,” she explained. “To support each other and to experience each other’s foods, languages and traditions, it’s such a beautiful thing. The villages are always just good vibes and I’m already so excited for next year.”
Over at this year’s newest venue, the Mardi Gras village, attendees had the opportunity to indulge in authentic Louisiana jambalaya, po’ boys, Bourbon Street treats and two specialty drinks.
The village also featured performances from Port Dover-based band, Route 6, who provided lively entertainment throughout the run of the event.
Fred Beale, president of the Brant Naval Veteran’s Association and Mardi Gras chair, said the response from the public was overwhelmingly positive.
“It’s been fantastic, we’re just over the moon,” he said. “We sold out to the walls on Friday, there wasn’t a grain of rice left by 9 p.m.. We had prepped on Wednesday and Thursday for Friday and Saturday, and this morning I had to send everyone to restock everything. I had my nose pressed against the Lococo’s door waiting for them to open.”
Beale couldn’t help but laugh saying that, rather than people visiting as many villages as they could in a night, many of the Mardi Gras visitors opted to stay all of Friday night.
“The idea of the villages is to see the world in four days, not to stay at Mardi Gras all night,” he said with a chuckle. “We had many people that came and just stayed for the entire time, it was great. The whole idea was to have a fun venue, and I think we pulled it off.”
Naser Hamed, Vice President of the Brantford International Villages, said the festival is a staple event for the city and continues to bring people together year after year.
“This has been going for 52 years now, so it’s part of the city and is a core event for us,” he said. Each year, it gives residents the opportunity to experience different cultures, traditions, music and food. Most importantly, it brings the community together and it’s a happy time that everybody loves.”
Hamed said he’s been involved with the Muslim village since it began around 15 years ago, as well as the newer Palestinian village, and has seen firsthand how the event encourages cultural exchange.
“Not only does this event bring people from one community to their own village, it brings other people from different communities and gives them an opportunity to experience that culture,” Hamed continued. “For example, the Muslim village is held at the mosque. We know there is negativity about Muslims, so this is a good opportunity to bring people in, break the ice and let people see what we’re about. The same thing for the Palestinian village too. It raises awareness and helps break down some of the misconceptions people have about different cultures.”
Hamed went on to say that while it takes months of volunteer work to get the villages prepared and running, it’s worth it.
“You have to understand, we meet a couple times between now and December, but from January onwards, it’s all hands on board to prepare for the villages” he said. “It’s a lot of hours, and it’s very tiring for everyone involved, but in the end, it’s worth it.”
Kimberly De Jong’s reporting is funded by the Canadian government through its Local Journalism Initiative.The funding allows her to report rural and agricultural stories from Blandford-Blenheim and Brant County. Reach her at kimberly.dejong@brantbeacon.ca.
